USS ''Stout'' (DDG-55) is the fifth

guided missile destroyer A guided-missile destroyer (DDG) is a destroyer whose primary armament is guided missiles so they can provide anti-aircraft warfare screening for the fleet. The NATO standard designation for these vessels is DDG, while destroyers who have a prim ...

. Built for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

Ingalls Shipbuilding Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, United States, originally established in 1938, and now part of Huntington Ingalls Industries, HII. It is a leading producer of ships for the United States Navy, and at 12,500 ...

, she was commissioned on 13 August 1994 and she is currently home-ported in

Naval Station Norfolk Naval Station Norfolk is a United States Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia, that is the headquarters and home port of the U.S. Navy's Fleet Forces Command. The installation occupies about of waterfront space and of pier and wharf space of the Hamp ...

. She is part of

Destroyer Squadron 26 Destroyer Squadron 26 (DESRON-26) is a destroyer squadron of the United States Navy. It was first created in 1950. It has seen action in the Korean War, service in the Atlantic, in the Vietnam War. From 1974 for a period it became the 'Mod Squad', ...

. ''Stout'' is named for Rear Admiral Herald F. Stout, who distinguished himself as the commanding officer of the destroyer during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. In November 1943, Commander Stout received two

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

es in the span of three weeks for his actions in the Pacific. Stout aided

Destroyer Squadron 23 Destroyer Squadron 23 (DESRON 23) is a squadron of United States Navy destroyers based out of San Diego, California. The squadron is best known for its actions during World War II, most notably the Battle of Cape St. George, under the command of ...

in sinking five heavily armed Japanese warships and damaging four others during the

Solomon Islands campaign The Solomon Islands campaign was a major campaign of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign began with Japanese landings and occupation of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville, in the Territory of New Guinea, du ...

as well as sinking four more Japanese warships and damaging two others to establish a beachhead on

Bougainville Island Bougainville Island (Tok Pisin: ''Bogenvil'') is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, which is part of Papua New Guinea. It was previously the main landmass in the German Empire-associated North Solomons. Its land area is ...

. ''Stout'' was ordered on 13 December 1988, the

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

was laid down on 8 August 1991, she was launched on 16 October 1992 and commissioned on 13 August 1994. As of July 2020 the ship is part of

based out of

Ship history

Board of Inspection and Survey

In April 2008, the ship comprehensively failed her

Board of Inspection and Survey The Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) is a United States Navy organization whose purpose is to inspect and assess the material condition of U.S. Navy vessels. The Board is currently headquartered at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virgin ...

examination and was declared "unfit for sustained combat operations." The ship has since passed 13 of 13 rigorous unit level training inspections. ''Stout'' deployed in March 2009 on routine security operations in the

Sixth Fleet The Sixth Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy operating as part of United States Naval Forces Europe. The Sixth Fleet is headquartered at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy. The officially stated mission of the Sixth Fleet in ...

operational area. On 15 July 2009,

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reported ''Stout'' was in the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...

cooperating with

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

forces in training exercises.

Relief of Commanding Officer and Command Master Chief

On 1 March 2011 while on deployment to the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

in support of the crisis in

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

, Commander Nathan Borchers, Command Master Chief Susan Bruce-Ross, six other chiefs, one junior officer, and one petty officer of ''Stout'' were relieved by the Commander Sixth Fleet. The cited cause was a "pervasive pattern of unprofessional behavior" among the ship's crew including "fraternization, orders violations and disregard for naval standards of conduct and behavior which contributed to poor crew morale and a hostile command climate."

Operation Odyssey Dawn

On 19 March 2011, in conjunction with other US Navy ships, the destroyer launched

Tomahawk cruise missile The Tomahawk () Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is a long-range, all-weather, jet-powered, subsonic cruise missile that is primarily used by the United States Navy and Royal Navy in ship and submarine-based land-attack operations. Under contract fr ...

s at Libyan air defenses as part of

Operation Odyssey Dawn Operation Odyssey Dawn was the U.S. code name for the American role in the international military operation in Libya to enforce United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 during the initial period of 19–31 March 2011, which continued aft ...

Syrian civil war

On 28 August 2013, the US Navy announced that a fifth ''Arleigh Burke''-class destroyer, ''Stout'', was en route to join the other four destroyers deployed in the eastern Mediterranean Sea amid allegations that the regime of Syrian President

Bashar al-Assad Bashar Hafez al-Assad, ', Levantine pronunciation: ; (, born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician who is the 19th president of Syria, since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the ...

used chemical weapons during the ongoing Syrian civil war, including the

2013 Ghouta attacks The Ghouta chemical attack, was a chemical attack carried out by the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in the early hours of 21 August 2013 in Ghouta, Syria during the Syrian civil war. Two opposition-controlled areas in the suburb ...

Navy record for longest stint at sea

On 3 October 2020, ''Stout'' moored in

Rota, Spain The town of Rota is a Spanish municipality located in the Province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Its surface area is 84 km2 and is bordered by the towns of Chipiona, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María. It is located near the city of ...

, after 215 days consecutively at sea, surpassing the Navy's known record of 206 days at sea previously held by carrier and cruiser . The unusually long deployment was as a result of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

and operational requirements.

Honors and awards

On 16 February 2007, ''Stout'' was awarded the 2006

Battle "E" The Battle Effectiveness Award (formerly the Battle Efficiency Award, commonly known as the Battle "E"), is awarded annually to the small number of United States Navy ships, submarines, aviation, and other units that win their battle effectiveness c ...

Coat of Arms

Shield

The battle axe is adapted from the Stout family's coat of arms. Its upright position underscores ''Stouts massive firepower and high survivability while the double axe head alludes to the all encompassing offensive and defensive power of the integrated AEGIS combat system. The star highlights Rear Admiral Stout's many awards, including the Silver Star. With resolute courage and daring aggressiveness, then Commander Stout aided his task force in sinking several Japanese warships to establish a beachhead on

. This Naval battle is symbolized by the wedge piercing the field of the shield. The wedge and field represents Rear Admiral Stout and the United States Navy's ability to disable and destroy a surface force of superior firepower.

Crest

The cross symbolizes the two Navy Crosses Rear Admiral Stout was awarded as well as exemplifies the strong devotion to God and Country that characterized his Naval career. It is inflamed to recall the fierce naval battle during the

. The lion is a metaphor for the courage and strength which Rear Admiral Stout and his crew had during World War II and to those who have served on board ''Stout'' (DDG-55).

References

External links

Navysite.de DDG-55
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stout (Ddg-55) Arleigh Burke-class destroyers Destroyers of the United States Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi 1992 ships